Politico: “According to Republican consultants and political observers from Tallahassee to Orlando to Tampa to Miami, there’s virtually no evidence that Rubio has the robust campaign in place that’s needed to shrink — let alone overcome — Trump’s lead, which ranges from 7 to 20 percentage points, depending on the poll. For weeks, his team hasn’t blanketed known early voters with mail, and they weren’t calling Republicans statewide until just a few days ago.”
Kasich May Have Blocked Rubio’s Path
David Wasserman: “It’s fair to say that Rubio’s path to the 1,237 delegates required to clinch the Republican presidential nomination by June is probably shot. And although he has bigger problems ahead of him — namely finding a way to win his home state, Florida, on March 15 — nothing has cost him so dearly to date, apart from perhaps his New Hampshire debate gaffe, as the lingering candidacy of John Kasich.”
“Just how much has Kasich cost Rubio? The answer could be up to 91 delegates, even though Kasich has won just 27 so far and has a much less plausible path forward than Rubio.”
“Ironically, in the next crucial phase of primaries, Kasich’s relationship with Rubio may evolve from parasitic to symbiotic. After Trump’s Super Tuesday domination, Rubio’s and Cruz’s goals seem to have shifted from winning 1,237 delegates by the end of the primaries to preventing Trump from winning 1,237 delegates and forcing a contested convention in Cleveland… Rubio badly needed Kasich out of the race about six weeks ago. But now, he may need him in the race more than ever.”
Trump Reverses Stance on Torture
Donald Trump told the Wall Street Journal that he wouldn’t order the U.S. military to break international laws, addressing criticism from military and legal experts that his policies regarding torture and killing the family members of terrorists would violate the Geneva Convention.
Romney Says He Won’t Vote for Trump or Clinton
Mitt Romney told Bloomberg he would support an effort to deny Donald Trump the nomination at the party’s convention in July if Trump doesn’t have enough delegates to win outright.
Romney compared the possible choice between Trump and Hillary Clinton as “drink the poison or take the bullet.”
Said Romney: “If those are my only two choices I’d vote for a conservative on the ballot – and if there weren’t one that I was comfortable with, I would write in a name.”
For members: How a Third Party Option Could Work for Republicans
Trump Leads In Kansas
A new Trafalgar Group poll in Kansas finds Donald Trump leading the GOP presidential field with 35%, followed by Ted Cruz at 29%, Marco Rubio at 17% and John Kasich at 13%.
Carson Spent Most of His Money on Consultants
“Ben Carson ran for president, and his consultants won,” the AP reports.
“The political newcomer who said this week he sees “no path” to the Republican nomination raised more money than any other GOP contender, $58 million since he began his bid last May. But Carson’s campaign burned through much more of that money on fundraising and consultants than on mass media advertising, on-the-ground employees and other things that could have swayed voters.”
Trump Backs Out of CPAC Speech
Donald Trump will no longer speak at the annual conservative confab CPAC this weekend, CNN reports.
“Trump was scheduled to speak at the annual gathering of the who’s-who of the conservative world Saturday, but said he would be campaigning, instead. In a statement, the Trump campaign said the GOP front-runner will instead attend rallies in Kansas and Florida.”
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Trump Way Up In Louisiana
A new Trafalgar Group poll in Louisiana finds Donald Trump way ahead of the GOP field at 44%, followed by Ted Cruz at 26%, Marco Rubio at 15%, Ben Carson at 6% and John Kasich at 6%.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I am not running for president, and I won’t run for president.”
— Mitt Romney, quoted by Yahoo News, ruling out a White House bid even if the Republican convention is contested.
GOP Rivals Undermine ‘Never Trump’ Movement
“After 10 debates spent attacking each other, underdog Republicans on Thursday finally focused virtually all their collective fire on Donald Trump, the Republican presidential front-runner who was savaged by the last Republican nominee just hours earlier in a dramatic broadside,” Bloomberg reports.
“Marco Rubio, who has spent the last week torching Trump as a ‘con artist,’ dismissed his immigration and foreign policies as unserious. Ted Cruz slammed the numerous checks Trump’s written to boost Hillary Clinton’s political career. They both decried Trump University, the subject of ongoing lawsuits, and his bullying debate tactics.”
“Then, in the closing moments, having succeeded in attacking Trump’s political and business record more than in any other previous debate, the remaining candidates agreed they’d fully support Trump if he became the party’s nominee. In doing so, they delivered a striking blow to a movement of Republican elites seeking to reject Trump under any circumstances.”
The GOP Debates Are Getting Old
Dan Balz: “Can anyone credibly suggest that the Republicans put their collective best face forward on Thursday night? At a time when the party is in crisis over the possibility that Donald Trump will become the nominee, the debate did next-to-nothing to make Trump or his three remaining candidates look or sound presidential.”
“Designed to define candidates’ differences, the debates have become tedious and repetitious rather than enlightening or illuminating. No new information was imparted, no truly new arguments advanced. Even the insults were tiresome.”
Trump Still On Track to Win Majority of Delegates
Nate Cohn: “He could even do so without wins in Ohio and Florida, the two largest winner-take-all states, where he faces opponents in their home states.”
“Mr. Trump would amass so many delegates because the rules become more biased toward candidates who win, allowing him the chance to take an overwhelming share of delegates with just a minority of the vote. It becomes easy to win lopsided delegate margins starting March 15, when states are allowed to apportion their delegates on a winner-take-all basis. At the same time, the primary calendar doesn’t become less favorable and may even become more advantageous to him, depending on which candidates stay in the race.”
Contested Convention Is Only Way to Stop Trump
“The only way Republicans can stop Donald Trump from capturing their party’s presidential nomination will be if they go to the July party convention without a clear standard-bearer. Virtually every GOP member of the Politico Caucus – a panel of operatives, activists, strategists and elected officials in four key March-voting battleground states – said after Super Tuesday, the door has closed on the possibility of another candidate winning a majority of delegates.”
Ventura Mulls Third Party Bid
Jesse Ventura told CNN that he is considering a third-party presidential bid and will decide “in the next month.”
Said Ventura: “I’m a centrist … fiscally conservative and socially liberal. All the people in the middle, that’s how I won. It’s the middle that controls your election.”
Cleveland Seeks Riot Gear for GOP Convention
“Cleveland is seeking to buy 2,000 sets of riot gear, including riot-control suits and collapsible batons, as part of the city’s latest move to spend a $50 million federal security grant for July’s Republican National Convention,” the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Quote of the Day
“I like Ted Cruz. I think he’s very conservative and a great constitutionalist and a very articulate man. I haven’t endorsed him or anything like that. But I also think, he’s an evangelical Christian, and probably one of the worst ones when it comes to trans issues.”
— Caitlyn Jenner, in an interview with The Advocate, later adding that she would like to be his “trans ambassador” if he’s elected president.
Flashback Quote of the Day
“New RNC report calls for embracing ‘comprehensive immigration reform.’ Does the RNC have a death wish?”
— Donald Trump, in a tweet criticizing the Republican party’s “autopsy” after the 2012 presidential election.
Politico: “Pundits laughed it off as the buffoonish ramble of a fringe New York billionaire on that March 2013 day, but what Trump didn’t say — and what the party establishment couldn’t have imagined — is that, three years later, he would be the one on the verge of making that death wish come true. The billionaire has not only ignored the report’s conclusions, he has run a campaign that moved the party in the exact opposite direction.”